Alan Ross Kirwin
Ross Kirwin
October 12,1948-April 14,2022
In the early morning of April 14th, Ross slipped away from us at the young age of 73. He leaves behind his wife Debbie (nee Liddle), who he was “smitten” with in 1972 while working at Cleveland House Resort in Minett, his remarkable sons of whom he was immensely proud, Jay (Heather), and Andrew (Amy), and his much loved grandchildren William and Abigail. He will be dearly missed by the entire “Liddle” clan. He was predeceased by his parents John & Gladys Kirwin & his big brother David.
Ross was born October 12, 1948 in Toronto and spent his childhood on Bowood Ave. in North Toronto, attending Bedford Park P.S. and Lawrence Park Collegiate. After graduation he travelled and worked in various European countries. during troubled times in the late sixties, finding work where he could. A year later he returned home penniless, but had had the time of his life.
Ross made cherished lifelong friends at school, and during his summers working over a span of 9 years at Cleveland House. Annual events such as the Filet & Asti party, Le Gang motorcycle trip, the Whiskey Nosing Weekend, Father & Son camping trip, trip to the Abacos, golf trip to South Carolina, golf weekend in Muskoka, Old timer’s Hockey Tournament and Boys’ Christmas lunch were all part of staying in touch and celebrating those friendships.
He lived for today and every tomorrow was a bonus.
One couldn’t have a conversation with him without breaking into a smile or a laugh. He had a way of storytelling with embellishment and always with a humorous twist. No one ever got tired of listening. He was a character extraordinaire. His sense of humour was like no other.
In 1992, when the family’s life was rocked by tragedy he became a care giver. Yet, he was the support Debbie needed to become independent again, allowing him to retire from that role.
Ross started out in sales working for a manufacturing company, then morphed to become the V.P. of Manufacturing for Kinetics, a contract furniture company. He had found his calling, creating, constructing and building making sure it met the standards he set. In 1991, he founded Spec Furniture (Specialized Product for Contract use). His personal goal was to make a success of the business, retire in 10 years and that is exactly what he did, retiring at 55.
In 2003 we left Toronto and moved to Huntsville, where Ross quickly became immersed in volunteer work. He sat on the Festival of the Arts Board, the Huntsville Economic Development Committee, and joined the Rotary Club of Huntsville. We believe that he sat on pretty darn near all event organizing committees such as Dockfest, Rotary Silent Auction, May Marche, and Ontario Winter Parasport Games, to name a few, and most recently the Maple Leaf’s Alumni Game set for this fall.
Ross was most happy building sets for the annual Rotary/Festival play, items like Muskoka chairs, wooden toys for the silent auction, but the one he was most proud of was the River Mill Bandshell.
In the eighteen years that we have lived in Huntsville Ross had amassed a multitude of new friends from this wonderful community. Moose & deer hunting and fishing trips were his new norm.
His zest for life was evident. Every person he met along his life’s journey became a friend.
We believe Ross had made an impact on the lives of all who were fortunate to know him.
A special thank you to the nurses and doctors at the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital for the care and compassion they had for Ross and the family. Cremation has taken place. A celebration of the life and times of Ross will take place on Saturday June 11, 2pm-5pm at the Active Living Centre, 20 Park Dr., Huntsville. Should you wish, donations may be made to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation (huntsvillehospitalfoundation.ca) or to the Rotary International Foundation (rotary.org)..